Mondays

Do you know how much surface area a gallon of milk covers? Well trust me when I tell you that you don't want to know. I thought I was getting ahead by running to the grocery store right before dinner time, especially since I only had one kiddo with me. The shopping went well -- five-year-olds can be really helpful when they're with mom one on one. And I was getting everything I need for this week's menu. Yay! Except five-year-olds are also prone to clumsiness. Hence, the gallon of milk that slipped out of Carter's hands and immediately burst open when it hit the ground. Let's just say that the spill extended past the gum and candy bars to the beginning of the checkstand, and was starting to drown me where I stood, next to the counter, trying to quickly unload the cart so we could get it out of the way. The clerks were sweet and helpful, and even got me a new milk to replace the one covering the floor. I was oh so apologetic and felt bad about all the trouble. And really, that's all I needed to cap off my Monday.

Here's to hoping tomorrow goes better........

Hello....again. Hello.

(Can you hear Neil Diamond singing that phrase? And the whole rest of the song? Keep it playing in your mind....)

Three years ago I wrote this post about clawing my way back up after a particularly difficult winter. I'm feeling much now like I did then - like I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Like maybe I can start to handle my life again. Except this time I've been hiding away, buried in the depths, for a year or maybe 13 months. I had Zach a little over 13 months ago, and I could tell within a few weeks of having him that I was not coming out of the normal baby blues and hormonal chaos of having a baby in a reasonable amount of time.

Things changed drastically when Zach was born. There's the whole going from 4 kids to 5 thing, and having two boys only 16 months apart. I went from very little sleep (the 16-month-old has never really slept through the night) to almost no sleep at all. And I became somewhat of a hermit. I quit doing my preschool music group, which was a good decision because I could not have handled it! And I stopped going to story time at the library, or the library at all for that matter. I did take one trip with the kids to the library shortly after Zach was born. I had the baby in the Moby wrap, and Aidan decided to flip out. It was a terrible experience, and I haven't entered a library with my children since. Before Zach, I felt like I ran from one place to the next constantly. We always had something to do and somewhere to be. After Zach, everything seemed too difficult. I planned to start going to my friends' preschool music classes and enjoy someone else doing all of the planning and organizing while I simply attended to my kids. Yet I haven't made it to a single one. Turns out there's no "simply attending to" energetic boys ages 1, 2, and 5. I've stopped almost completely doing the things that I enjoy. I rarely, if ever, play the piano. I don't sew nearly as often as I'd like. I don't read at all. And obviously, I haven't been blogging.

There have been times I've just wanted to scream out loud, "Please help me! I can't handle this!" But most of the time I prefer to remain silent, to smile and say I'm well when people ask me at church. I know I've mentioned a couple times on my blog that I'm struggling, but it really seems whiny. After all, what can anyone else do for me anyway? I don't even know what to do for myself!

I've tried a couple of medications and I think I've finally found one that's working for me. I also added counseling a few months ago, which is probably the most helpful thing. And I finally feel like I'm turning a corner. Things that seemed nearly impossible to me a few months ago (like keeping my kitchen clean for longer than 5 minutes) seem much more do-able now. I even read an entire book in January, and I'm working on finishing another.

So I'm slowly working my way back into life. I started a baby blanket today - one of my favorite activities! And here I am.......blogging! Wow, I've missed this. Of course, don't expect too much too soon. I still have catastrophes like this to deal with every ten minutes or so, so I'll be kind of busy for a while:

Zach is quite proud of himself for climbing into the toilet. I'm hoping taking pictures and laughing my head off won't reinforce the behavior!

MFT #4: FlyLady

There's nothing better than a clean house. Don't you agree? I love to walk into my bedroom and see my bed made and everything in its place. And it's soooo nice to walk into the kitchen and see a clean floor, gleaming counters, and a bright shiny sink.

I decorated my house for Christmas yesterday - we even got a tree and decorated it for family night! - and I used it as an excuse to do a deep cleaning in the living room. I vacuumed under and behind furniture, scrubbed our microfiber (thank goodness for microfiber!) couch and recliner, and polished the piano and end tables. I cleaned all of the glass and every nook and cranny. Man, it feels so good!

I try to keep up on this stuff, but I've felt very overwhelmed since having Zach almost a year ago. With a baby who's been walking for a few months now and getting into EVERYTHING, and a 2-year-old who also gets into everything but has learned more tricks and can cause enormous disasters in mere moments, I've got a lot going on. I'm really struggling to keep up. Enter FlyLady.

Some of her tips are pretty elementary, but I like the routine she suggests and it really helps when you're feeling like you're in over your head like I am right now. To make it more fun, my sister Cassie is doing it with me. We're doing the beginner baby steps together and we talk and text to keep each other updated. It helps to have a partner to report to.

So I assume that most of you have your act together enough that you have no need for such things. But I have to admit, because I like to keep it real, that I don't. But I want to. I reeeeaaaallly want to. So I'm working on it. And things are getting better.

Just in case, though, give me a call before you drop by. :)

MFT #3: Bath & Body Works

I didn't go out and shop the day after Thanksgiving. I just couldn't bear the thought of fighting crowds and standing in long lines. But I did some Black Friday shopping........online. This was a first for me. But I got the same stuff - probably more selection because they're less likely to be out of stock online than in the store, at least I would think. I got the same sale prices, and free shipping. Yay for me!

My box came yesterday, full of the essentials : a new wallflower - the Christmas tree shape because it looked too cute to pass up, body lotion and shower gel, wallflower refills, and of course soaps of all different scents.

There was a time just a few years ago when I was unfamiliar with this store that is now one of my favorites. I would wander in with my sister or a friend while at the mall, but never bought anything. I didn't know what I was missing!

My favorite B&B scent is sweet pea. I have sweet pea wallflowers, soap, lotion, shower gel, and even a scentportable for my van. Maybe I have a bit of an obsession. Hey, maybe I should be getting paid for this post! (hee, hee)

So now I want to know.........do you B&B, and if so, what are your faves?

MFT #2*: Texting

John and I got new phones earlier this year. In the space of a day, I went from non-texter to textaholic. OK, that's probably an exaggeration, but I really enjoy having the option to send a text. I have to admit that I have a small case of phone phobia. I get really nervous when I have to make a phone call. Making visiting teaching appointments, for example, freaks me out. Calling around looking for a babysitter is torture! (When I was in 6th grade I needed to get a pet to keep in our classroom at school and my mom made me call a pet store to see if they carried turtles. I almost had a panic attack over it! And I will never live that down in my family. There you go - a little sneak peak into my crazy past. You're welcome.) I have no problem calling strangers at stores now, so I've come a long way. But texting takes all the anxiety out of reminding your friend you're on your way, or telling your sister you're running late. And no, I don't text while driving or during dates or family time. And you can't really make appointments or find babysitters while texting, so I'm not sure how that all ties in....

Anyway, if you don't text and you want to start, I highly recommend getting a phone with a full keyboard. It totally rocks!

* In case you're wondering, my list of favorite things is in no particular order other than whatever happens to be on my mind from day to day. And I'll try to make my future posts less random and rambling. :)

My Favorite Things #1: Creativity (Plus a Sneak Peak!)

Two years ago I wrote a series of December blog posts I called My Favorite Things - kind of a mix of November-like gratitude posts and a recap of the year's happenings that I hadn't had a chance to blog about. Well, I'm going to revisit the idea this year. I'm hoping it will get me back into the swing of blogging. I haven't been able to work blogging into my life lately and I'm really missing it!

Today my favorite thing is CREATIVITY. I absolutely loooove to mosey around a cute quilt shop and put together the perfect combination of fabrics for a new project. And I love the excitement of completing something that I made all by myself, start to finish. I'm at a point in life where I have very little time for myself. As much as I love my little ones, and I'm trying to cherish and drink in their littleness, I am in desperate need of an outlet - something that makes me feel like me. That's what sewing is for me these days. I don't have much time to do it, which is why I've been trying to get an Etsy shop up and going and it's taking me quite a while. But it IS coming. So here's a sneak peak:

My Etsy shop will feature these cute totes and wipe wallets* in a bunch of adorable fabrics. There will be a few quilted minky blankets, including this one, and eventually bibs and a few more baby items. I just have a few more things to sew up and pictures to take before I'm ready to open shop. As soon as I'm ready, I'll be hosting a giveaway on my blog. I'm so excited!!!

*I have to credit Elise for teaching me how to make the wipe wallets. I've been addicted ever since she made me one and shared her secrets. Thanks, Elise!

Also, as much as I wish I were, I am NOT a good photographer. I hope you can tell how cute the stuff is in spite of the poor quality photos. : )

I just couldn't resist....

Katelyn has fallen in love with writing stories and illustrating them. (I think they talk about "illustrations" a lot at school.) Here is one of her stories. I found it this morning on the table. I'm not sure where she gets her knowledge of eagles. I'll have to ask her when she gets home from school.

This next one requires a little explanation. For Carter's birthday a week ago, John got him a bearded dragon:

His name is Dragon - creative, huh? He is Carter's best pal (besides Katie, of course). Dragon hangs out with us while Carter plays with his Legos, plays video games, draws, etc. However, because Carer is only 5, we've had a few incidents with Dragon. Sometimes when I tell Carter to put Dragon back in his cage downstairs he forgets. Not seeing Dragon attached to Carter's shirt like he usually is, I assume Carter has obeyed me. We have always been able to find the lizard after one of these mishaps, until last night. I was out doing my visiting teaching (yeah me!) when I got a text that Dragon was missing. I returned home two hours later and he still hadn't been found. John had been combing the house, the yard, the garden, but no Dragon. I went out with a flashlight and looked for a while, then searched the house myself. When I finally gave up, I honestly felt like crying (take note of the end of Katie's next story). I never in my life dreamed I would be that sad, if sad at all, over a lost lizard. But that guy is Carter's best buddy, and in the short time that we've had him, he's really become part of the family. Here's Katie's take on the situation:

The kids were up at 5:30 this morning, and I listened to them bemoan their lost friend, promising to look outside again when it got light. Luckily, before we started the search again we noticed Dragon on the hearth in the living room. He was behind a little stuffed pumpkin, and probably had been all night. I don't know how we missed him, or how the cats missed him. I'm just so relieved! And I'm happy to have Carter's pal back. :)